PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Thirty years ago, KOIN 6 News anchor Jeff Gianola spent time on the streets with the homeless in Portland. At that time there were a few hundred on the streets — and no one could imagine the future would include thousands of unnamed faces and tents dotting the city’s landscape.
In the 5-part series “The Unsheltered Truth,” Jeff Gianola goes back on the streets to talk with, listen to and learn from the people who are currently living on the streets of Portland.
You’ll hear from those on the frontlines who are frustrated by inaction and homeless policies that haven’t worked — and in the process, earned Portland a dubious national reputation.
Jeff Gianola traveled the streets at night the Union Gospel Mission’s Search and Rescue Team, meeting firsthand the people they help.
In “Sweep and Repeat,” you’ll see homeless people swept out of one sidewalk and setting up in a nearby homeless camp — where they’ll stay until the next homeless sweep.
You’ll meet the Portland police officer who knows the homeless people by the bikes they steal and the drugs they use, over and over again. You’ll see why frustrated neighbors and business owners say enough is enough.
In “Lost Chances,” Jeff Gianola looks at the controversial county decision to not turn the never-used Wapato Jail into a homeless shelter.
Then, you’ll have a tour of a homeless center in San Diego that many experts say Portland needs to copy. You’ll see how this program is putting the homeless to work.
Join Jeff Gianola for “The Unsheltered Truth,” a 5-part series beginning Monday, April 30, 2018 on KOIN 6 News.
